BCEC’s green credentials on show

Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre (BCEC) has again demonstrated its strong and proven green credentials receiving back to back accolades for its environmental leadership.

On the world stage, BCEC took out the 2016 AEG 1Earth Award for Best Waste Reduction.

BCEC participates in the AEG 1Earth global sustainability program operated across AEG’s 100 strong worldwide Family of Facilities, working to specific sustainability targets by 2020.

Locally, the Centre was named as a finalist in the 2016 Lord Mayor’s Business Awards in the Energex Sustainability in Business Category for the second year running and was a winner in this category in 2015.

Lord Mayor Graham Quirk said finalists in this year’s Business Awards are raising the bar when it comes to innovation, collaboration, research and development. “The Lord Mayor’s Business Awards continue to demonstrate why decision-makers worldwide are choosing Brisbane for business, investment, study and conventions,” he said.

Both the AEG 1Earth and Lord Mayor’s Business Award submissions are based on the Centre’s organic waste dehydrator which reduces 200kg of food waste reducing the total volume of waste by 85% producing a dry, nutrient-rich biomass which is then used on city and South Bank Parklands.

BCEC kitchens prepare 1.2 million meals each year consuming in excess of 500,000 kg of fresh produce. By shrinking the volume of food waste, the Centre has achieved a substantial reduction in greenhouse gas emissions and costs associated with waste handling, transportation and disposal and time dedicated to handling waste.

BCEC General Manager, Bob O’Keeffe said this is just one initiative on the Centre’s agenda designed to systematically and proactively reduce the environmental footprint of the Centre’s operation.

“We made a strategic commitment a number of years ago to establish our credentials as a globally responsible operating venue and to build a sustainable future for our clients, our staff and our community.

“We have developed a culture where we believe that as individuals and as an organisation we have an obligation to make choices that will reduce our impact on the environment and contribute to building more liveable and caring communities.”

The Centre has achieved EarthCheck Gold Certification from the world’s most recognised and largest environmental management program rating above Best Practice in the key areas of Energy Consumption, Greenhouse Gas Emissions, Water Savings Rating and Waste sent to landfill in the 2016 audit. The global program acknowledges the Centre’s continuing compliance to the highest environmental standards.